


the best favor

by ndnickerson



Category: Nancy Drew - Carolyn Keene
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Crush at First Sight, F/M, Kindergarten Teacher AU, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:55:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27589177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ndnickerson/pseuds/ndnickerson
Summary: Nancy does a favor for Bess and meets Bess's son's kindergarten teacher, who happens to be Ned.
Relationships: Nancy Drew/Ned Nickerson
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	the best favor

"Oh thank God."

"...Hi?" Nancy replied, checking her blind spot before changing lanes. Bess generally didn't call during business hours for no reason.

"I need a _huge_ favor. Are you free for, like, an hour and a half?"

Nancy glanced at the dashboard clock and grimaced. "I can be," she said. "What am I getting into?"

"Nothing!" Then Bess paused. "Also, after all we've been through—"

"Yes," Nancy sighed. "I owe you to infinity. What am I getting into?"

"Picking up Kyler and giving him lunch. Then you can bring him to my mom's. It's just..." Bess sighed. "Just one of those days. Is that all right?"

"Sure. Yeah, I can do that. What's he into?"

"You can ask him. The usual. If you get him a burger, _no onions._ He will totally reject it. And he's on a barbecue sauce kick." Bess paused again. "What are you wearing?"

Nancy burst into laughter. "Hi, non-sequitur. What?"

"Remember that _very_ hot guy I was telling you about? That if it wouldn't be super awkward, I would have jumped him five seconds after meeting him?"

Nancy chuckled. "Honey, that _really_ doesn't narrow anything down." She couldn't even remember the last guy Bess had met that she _hadn't_ described that way. Gym instructors, butchers, librarians. All men with a pulse in Chicago were just potential entrants to the dating pool, as far as Bess was concerned.

Ridge Hanlon was Kyler's biological father thanks to a scorching-hot whirlwind romance, but only a handful of people, including Nancy, knew that. How anyone could look into Kyler's soulful dark eyes, ringed in sinfully long lashes, see the adorable dimple in his chin, and _not_ know his father was guitarist for one of the most successful bands in the world was beyond Nancy; he looked almost exactly like Hanlon. But Bess, to her credit, had decided not to sit at home and nurse a broken heart, or blow up Ridge's phone with jealous messages. Maybe she wasn't ready to make a long-term commitment or confuse Kyler with a parade of dating partners, but she also was keeping her eyes wide open to the world around her.

Bess was an incredible single mother, and she'd built a great village around her to help. Nancy was honored to be a part of it, when she could.

"Anyway. What are you wearing?"

Nancy tuned back into the conversation with a glance down at her outfit. "Eh. Incognito," she replied. "Black button-down and jeans."

Bess moaned in disappointment. "Well. Put on mascara and touch up your lipstick first, just in case you see _him._ Gotta go!"

Nancy smiled as her phone beeped, indicating the end of the call. She still didn't know who _he_ was.

Ridge's child support payments meant Bess had enrolled Kyler at an ultra-exclusive, very crunchy private preschool slash elementary school. Nancy had to show her identification to even drive onto the grounds, and was grateful Bess had been able to call ahead to get her clearance. She was halfway surprised the receptionist didn't take a blood sample, a set of fingerprints, and a mug shot before handing her the freshly-printed pass that would allow her temporary custody of Kyler.

The receptionist couldn't have been who Nancy had touched up her lipstick to see, either. Maybe the security guard? Nancy shrugged slightly. Poor Bess was beyond starved for adult male contact.

The kindergarten room she had been directed to was abandoned, except for a teacher's aide who directed Nancy out to the playground. Nancy thanked her with a smile and headed for the closest exit.

She spotted Kyler on a swing, chattering to the man who was pushing him, and hitched her purse up on her shoulder as she strolled over. When Kyler spotted her, he gave her a grin that would be a reliable get-out-of-jail card once he was in his teens. Even at the age of five, Kyler had a smile that melted hearts.

"Hi sweetheart!"

"Aunt Nancy!" Kyler hopped out of the swing and raced over to her, almost tackling her waist in a hug. "Meet my teacher!"

Nancy glanced up, a polite smile on her face.

And her heart stopped.

"Hi, Aunt Nancy." Kyler's teacher extended his hand.

Kyler was going to be devastatingly handsome. No one had any doubt about that.

But the man in front of her _was_ devastatingly handsome. He wore business casual, a button-down and comfortable khakis, his sleeves rolled up to reveal his forearms. He had a full head of thick, dark hair with a bit of a wave in it, and his grin revealed even white teeth. He was tall and broad-shouldered, his sweet dark eyes twinkling at her from behind wire-rimmed glasses, and he—

God. He made her knees weak. He had a body that could stop traffic, and he was _here_ , buried in a private elementary school? It was like finding a flawless diamond in a pile of gravel.

She accepted his proffered hand and tried to cover the incredible jolt of attraction she felt. "Hi, Kyler's teacher."

"Mister Nickerson," Kyler piped up.

"Mister Nickerson," Nancy repeated.

"Edmund."

Nancy's eyebrows rose a fraction of an inch. "Edmund," she repeated, her gaze locked to his. She wasn't imagining the frank admiration and speculation in his expression. He wasn't ogling her, but he definitely seemed interested in her.

"Is Mom okay?"

Nancy blinked, trying to focus. Now she was definitely regretting her outfit choice, even though it apparently hadn't phased Kyler's teacher. "Oh! Yes, I think she's fine. She just wanted me to hang out with you for a little while." Her hand was still joined to Mr. Nickerson's, and she released it reluctantly to bend down and look Kyler in the eye. "What do you think for lunch? Thai? Mexican?"

Kyler laughed. "Mexican?"

She straightened, letting her gaze touch the teacher's hand. All his fingers were ringless. Her heart started beating a little bit harder, and she gave Kyler's teacher a smile. "Thanks for keeping an eye on him."

He shrugged easily. "I'll walk you out," he suggested, and Nancy nodded in agreement.

A part of her, a very small part, was disappointed when he didn't make a further move on her. Granted, Kyler kept up a steady stream of chatter, telling Nancy all about his day. Kyler's teacher waved as they headed out to the parking lot, and Nancy carefully buckled him into his seat before glancing back.

Well. It wasn't that Bess's instincts were often wrong, but in this case they seemed to be very, _very_ right.

That night, Nancy was home when her phone began to vibrate. Jolted out of her concentration, she inhaled sharply before picking it up.

"Bess? Is everything okay?"

Bess chuckled. "Way, _way_ more than okay. I was asked to pass along a message, that maybe you lost a ring while at Kyler's school today, and if you did, please call this number." She rattled it off once Nancy assured her she had a way to write it down.

"So, you made quite an impression, huh."

"Nickerson's number?"

"Oh, yes. Is he _not_ the hottest thing you've ever seen?"

"In person, definitely." Nancy glanced at her computer again. "He is..."

"Mmm," Bess moaned in agreement. "Like I said. If it wouldn't make things super awkward... I'm happy for you, girl."

Nancy laughed. "Well, we'll see. Did you just hear from him?"

"About ten minutes ago. I just put Kyler down. Thank you so, so much for picking him up."

"It was no problem. Especially with this call." Nancy couldn't help grinning. "Maybe I should pick him up more often."

"Maybe you should. Enjoy him for me. Enjoy him _a lot_ for me."

Nancy was still laughing as she punched in the number.

"Hello?"

"Hi. Edmund? Or Ned?"

On the other end of the line, Nickerson paused, then cleared his throat. "Oh?"

Nancy smiled. "Let's just say that I was intrigued, and I'm a PI. Sorry."

"Hmm..."

"No, it's okay. I get it. Hiring committees aren't all that partial to wet T-shirt contests, probably."

He groaned. "Please tell me that you at least had to put a little effort in to find that."

"I did," she admitted. "Whoever you hired to scrub your social media did a very good job. I'm just good at finding the edge of the sticker that was slapped over it and peeling it back. I guess you just called the fraternity an honors society and crossed your fingers." She tilted her head. "The glasses..."

"I thought they couldn't hurt."

"They don't," she agreed. He'd have to do a lot to disguise that incredibly hot body and irresistibly gorgeous face. "So. Edmund, or Ned?"

"I guess that depends. We've just met, so I would say 'Edmund,' but apparently you've now also seen me in a wet T-shirt..."

She clicked through a few more search results and saw the photo he meant. She groaned quietly. "Wow," she breathed.

He chuckled. "So, 'Ned,' then."

"Ned. I didn't lose a ring today."

"How lucky for me," he replied. "That you called me back anyway. A couple of follow-up questions. Single?"

"Yep."

He paused. "Tell me you didn't find the..."

"Dating profile? Yep. Some _very_ interesting pics on that, too."

He sighed. "And yet you called me back."

"What can I say? You seem pretty fascinating, Nickerson."

"All right. Second, do you have a toddler right now? A small child that will make this incredibly awkward in the not-too-distant future?"

"Nope. Child-free."

"Great. And third... what are you doing this weekend?"

Her instant, instinctual response wasn't something she could actually say, so she covered her snicker with a cough. "Not much, I think. Have something in mind?"

"A few things, really. But we could start simple. Dinner."

"Food truck or tablecloths?"

He laughed. "Your call. Somewhere we can talk."

"Then let's hit up that food truck alley near Millennium Park. We can grab a couple of beers and some tacos, completely forego dignity, skip all the posturing."

"That sounds fantastic."

Her heart was still beating harder as they agreed on a time and place, and when she could sense the conversation was winding down, she said, "So why a ring, for your excuse? Unless that was some kind of symbolism."

"I didn't even think of it that way, honestly. No, I did actually find a ring after you left today. It just seemed like providence."

"That must be fairly rare, at an elementary school."

"Adult-sized, too. It has a symbol on it I've never seen before." He paused. "You said you're a PI?"

"Yep. You found it on school grounds?"

"The edge of it. There's this low-traffic walking trail nearby. You wouldn't want to see it?"

"Well, maybe I could help you find the owner," she suggested. "I'll see if I can sneak away for a few minutes at lunch tomorrow. If, if you're free."

"I'd love to. To... show you the ring," he covered, and Nancy chuckled. "Yes, definitely. It's a date?"

"It's a date," she agreed, and as soon as she hung up, she couldn't help it; she bounced onto her feet and did a little dance, letting out a squeal of excitement.

The potential for a new guy, _and_ for a new mystery. What could be better?

**Author's Note:**

> This story was originally published elsewhere (see my profile). If you enjoyed it, please consider leaving feedback!


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